About Bloody Time
by Hit Wizard
Summary: The last week of The Trio's final year.Will Harry and Hermione have enough courage to finally admit to each other how they feel before school is over? Long Oneshot.


"About Bloody Time"

_A/N: First the important stuff. I do not own any of these characters, they are from the amazing imagination of JK Rowling. I really appreciate all those who have read my first two stories, 'Feelings Finally Realized' and 'Meddling With Time'. Here is my third offering, I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and I'm sure you can tell that these stories were written well before HBP. _

The end of the school year was fast approaching at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There were only five more days left before the start of the summer holidays. To most students, this was a well deserved time of relaxation from their studies. Then, in September, they would return to school to start again.

For Hermione Granger and her friends, being in their seventh year, this was their final year at the school. She, Harry, and Ron had spent a small part of the school year discussing careers and making future plans. But, with the end of school so close, they had to make some serious decisions very soon.

Hermione knew Harry and Ron both wanted to enter the Auror program. She had thought about several careers for herself, but was certain she would enter the Healer program at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. She found the work Healers did very fascinating, and thought she would enjoy helping people.

She wanted to get together with Ron and Harry to discuss staying in touch after school, once everyone started training for their respective fields. Since all of their training would take place in and around London, it would be easy for them to stay in contact and see each other occasionally.

She entered the Gryffindor common room and found Ron, as usual, engrossed in a serious game of Wizard's Chess. Only, he was playing against Ginny instead of Harry. Her spirits fell. She had really wanted to talk to Harry. She had something else, other than career planning, she needed to talk to him about.

She had grown very concerned about her best friend lately. He had stopped hanging around with them the last few days. They didn't know where he had gone off to. She didn't know what was wrong. She missed his company greatly. She hoped Ron might know where he was.

"Ron, have you seen Harry today?" she asked anxiously.

Unfortunately, he couldn't help her growing concern.

"Sorry, 'Mione, I sure haven't," replied Ron.

He noticed she looked very sad and upset at this situation.

"Ron, I'm worried about him. This is not like Harry to completely avoid us. We haven't done anything to upset him that I know of. I just don't understand."

Seeing she was in quite a state, Ron offered a possible reason for Harry's behavior in hopes of calming her down.

"I'm sure he's okay, 'Mione. I think he's just got a lot on his mind right now, with the end of school coming up. He really wants to be an Auror, but his grades aren't in yet. I think he feels his marks won't be good enough."

Hermione looked at Ron incredulously.

"Balderdash! Harry just needs some confidence in his abilities. We had some excellent study sessions before his exams and he did exceptionally well. There's no reason he shouldn't get top marks on all his exams. I just wish I could talk to him. I wonder where he is?"

Ron felt bad he couldn't be of any help to Hermione. He didn't know anything about what Harry was doing or where he would go.

"I don't have a clue where he is. Lately, the only time I see him is when he returns to the dorm to go to bed. Then he doesn't say a whole lot."

"I hope he comes around soon, school's almost over with. I need to discuss something very important with him," said Hermione sadly.

It was almost driving Hermione to tears not being able to see Harry. She really needed to sit down and talk to him. She had something very important she needed to tell him, she just didn't know how to go about doing it.

For all the years they had been together, she tried and tried to deny that her feelings had changed toward her best friend. But now she could no longer ignore how she felt. She tried to convince herself it was wrong to feel this way about Harry, but she was fighting a losing battle. She had finally surrendered to the true feelings in her heart. She had fallen deeply in love with Harry, and it was tearing her up inside not being able to tell him.

She couldn't ignore these feelings any longer. But, she had to figure out some way of telling him, and pray he felt the same way. She hoped this revelation wouldn't drive him away. She wouldn't know what to do without Harry in her life. If she could just talk to him. There wasn't much time left. She had to find Harry.

Harry Potter was standing near the entrance to Gryffindor Tower, but no one could see him. He was under his father's invisibility cloak. He just stood there thinking. _This is stupid. Just walk up to her and tell her how you feel .Yeah, and if she doesn't feel the same, I'll scare away my best friend and ruin seven years of friendship. I cannot bear to lose Hermione. I'd rather die than be without her. How do I get myself into these situations? What am I going to do?_

While standing there agonizing over his problem, he spied Neville Longbottom coming down the corridor towards the Gryffindor Tower entrance. A plan instantly formed in Harry's head. He quickly hid behind a nearby statue of some obscure wizard and stashed his cloak. Before Neville could give the password to enter the common room, Harry got his attention and motioned for him to come over to where he was.

Neville was curious and walked over to Harry.

"What's wrong, Harry? Are you okay?" asked Neville.

He was very concerned about Harry's behavior. Neville thought he looked rather agitated about something.

"I'm fine Neville. I need you to do me a little favor, if you would?" asked Harry.

"You've helped me so much and stood up for me over the years Harry, just name it," said Neville enthusiastically.

Now, how can he tell Neville what he wants him to do, without sounding like he's gone mad? Well, he had to give it a try.

"Hermione just went into Gryffindor Tower. I need you to give her a message for me. But, I don't want anyone else to hear it. I know you think I'm mad, but this is very important. If anyone else is there with her, try to get her by herself so you can give her the message. Tell her I need to see her. I need to talk to her about something very important. She needs to meet me in the Room of Requirement as soon as she can. Please Neville, this is very important. Do everything you can to make sure she gets the message."

"I'll be glad to give Hermione your message. She will get it Harry, you can count on it. Are you sure you're okay?" replied Neville, still concerned about Harry.

"I'm fine, Neville. I just have a lot on my mind, end of school and all," lied Harry.

"I'll go give her your message right now," said Neville.

"Thanks Neville, I'll be waiting," said Harry as he hurried off.

Once he saw Neville enter Gryffindor Tower, he reclaimed his cloak and raced to the Room of Requirement. He hoped with all his heart that Hermione would show up.

Neville entered the common room and saw Hermione talking to Ron and Ginny. How was he going to get her away from them to give her the message, and not look like he was up to something. He thought for a moment, then came up with a plan he thought was pretty good. He'd give it a try. He approached the group.

"Hi everyone," he said casually.

They all said hi and asked how he was doing.

"I'm doing fine, but, Hermione I need your help. My gran sent me a new plant for my collection, and I haven't been able to identify it. I was wondering if you could take a look at it and see if you could tell me what it is."

"Sure, Neville, I'll be glad to help you. Where is the plant?" enquired Hermione.

Neville thought this was going well so far as he answered.

"It's up in my dorm room with my other plants," fibbed Neville.

She looked over at Ron and Ginny and excused herself, then headed upstairs with Neville. Once in the dorm, she inquired as to which plant was the one in question.

'Hermione, first I need to apologize to you. There is no plant. I needed to get you by yourself so I could deliver a message to you from Harry," explained Neville.

Hearing Harry's name she went into quite a state.

"Harry! Have you seen him? Where is he? Is he all right?" she asked in quick succession.

Neville was taken aback by Hermione's reaction.

"Easy Hermione, relax. He was outside the common room. He wanted me to give you a message for him, but he didn't want anyone else to hear it. This is all strange to me. He was very nervous for some reason. He wanted me to ask you, if you would meet him in the Room of Requirement as soon as possible. He said he needs to talk to you and tell you something very important. That's all I know."

"Thank you Neville for giving me the message," said Hermione.

She was now very confused and even more worried about Harry. As she and Neville returned to the common room, she came up with an excuse to leave so she could meet Harry. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to do this, but she felt better by doing it.

"Thanks Hermione, I guess I overlooked that page in my plant book," said Neville.

"No problem, Neville. I was glad to be of help. If you will excuse me, I forgot about some owls I need to send. I'll see you later," said Hermione.

She then slipped out of the common room and headed to her mysterious meeting with Harry.

_What is so important Harry needs to see me in the Room of Requirement? Why is he so nervous? I hope nothing is wrong ._Many thoughts ran rampant through her mind as she hurried on her way to meet Harry.

Harry was sitting on a rather comfortable couch, not unlike the one in the Gryffindor common room. The same one he and Hermione had sat on together, many a night, studying and talking. He was deep in thought while waiting for Hermione. _Why can't I just tell her? What can I be afraid of? I've destroyed evil wizards. I've fought them face to face. I've looked certain death right in the eye. I can't tell one female that I love her? School is almost over. I can't let her go without telling her. If she doesn't feel the same way, fine. At least I can let her know how I feel. She can make the decision if she still wants to be my friend or not._

Harry jumped as he heard the door to the room burst open. He looked over at the entrance and saw Hermione rush in. He stood up and faced her, gazing at her while she stood by the doorway. He noticed the look of deep concern on her face. That was Hermione, always worried about him.

"Harry, what's wrong? What do you need to tell me? Are you okay?" she asked with great concern.

"I'm fine, Hermione. Calm down, it's all right. Come over and sit with me, please," said Harry softly.

She did as he asked, but kept her eyes locked on him. _Oh, those beautiful brown_ _eyes_, he thought. He had to stop being distracted so he could think straight, and finally tell her how he felt about her. He was at least going to try.

"Hermione, I didn't mean to upset you. That's never been my intention. I'm fine, there's nothing wrong with me. First of all I need to apologize to you. I know it seems like I've been avoiding you, but I've been racking my brain for days on how to tell you something that's very important to me. I beg your forgiveness. I never meant to hurt you. I could never hurt you."

"Oh, Harry! There's nothing to forgive. This is an important time in your life. You have a lot on your mind, with all the horrible things you have been through the last seven years, and now the end of school is near. You want to be an Auror, and you are worried about your grades being good enough," said Hermione.

There was Hermione trying to logically explain the way he was behaving. Logic had nothing to do with this. If she only knew why he was in such turmoil. Hopefully, if his courage held up, she was about to find out.

"What you said is true. But that's not the important thing that's been driving me mad. I've been agonizing for quite some time on how to confess something to you, something I'm afraid to tell you."

She couldn't believe she had heard Harry say he was actually afraid. He was the bravest person she knew. She had actually seen him prove it many times. But, she had never seen him in the state he was in now. She needed to find out what was so important. She looked into his green eyes, and lightly stroked his cheek.

"Harry, you know there's nothing you can't tell me. With everything we have been through together these past seven years, you can tell me anything. You are my best friend, you never have to be afraid with me," she said lovingly.

"I know, Hermione. But, what I need to tell you may change the way we are as best friends," said Harry hesitantly.

Hermione wasn't sure how to take these last words. Several thoughts flew through her head. _Did Harry not want to be her friend anymore? Had something happened? Had he grown tired of the constant nagging about studying? Or maybe, oh no, had he found an actual girlfriend?_ Her thoughts had caused a tear to start creeping down her face. Harry saw this and gently brushed it away. Her skin felt so soft and smooth. He looked down at her and saw sadness in her eyes.

"Hermione, I don't mean to keep upsetting you," he said softly.

"Well, it sounded to me like you are having doubts about being my friend anymore," she said with a little more feeling than she meant.

Harry had to head this thought off quickly. She was taking what he was trying to say, the opposite of the way he meant it.

"Hermione, that's not what I meant at all. I think you've misunderstood my intentions. I'll never stop being your friend. I guess I'm just going to have to tell you, confess to you what I have been holding back for so long. I haven't told you for fear I'd lose you if I did. I pray now that you will still at least be my friend after I tell you what I need to. It's taken what has seemed like a lifetime to build up my courage to do this, so here goes."

Hermione didn't know what to say. She had never seen Harry act this way. He was actually trembling. He took both of her hands in his, looked her straight in the eye, and said firmly,

"Hermione Jane Granger, I…I love you. I love you with all my heart and soul."

Hermione was absolutely stunned. She was gazing into his beautiful green eyes not knowing what to say or do. Her mind was reeling. _Had he really said it or was she dreaming. Had he said the thing she had wanted to hear for so long. He did say it! He loves me. Oh my God, he loves me! _

Harry wasn't sure what was going on in Hermione's head. She was just sitting there quietly, staring into Harry's eyes. Bad thoughts were running through his mind. _Harry you are an idiot, you just lost your best friend. You had to tell her, didn't you? _Suddenly, to his surprise, the most beautiful smile he'd ever seen appeared on Hermione's face. Tears slowly eased down her cheeks. The next thing he knew she had wrapped her arms around him in a bone crushing hug. _She must not be too upset_, he thought.

"Oh, Harry! You don't know how happy you've made me. I've waited so long to here you say it. I've _longed_ to hear you say it," said Hermione through her tears.

Harry couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Hermione? You've been waiting for me to tell you that I love you? Then does that mean…?"

Hermione finished the thought for him.

"I love you too, Harry. I have for quite some time. I just didn't know how to tell you. I was afraid you couldn't feel the same about me. But, now knowing how you feel, I was able to tell you. I guess things have ways of working themselves out," said Hermione.

Hermione finally relaxed and released the bear hug she had on Harry to more normal levels. They sat there gazing at each other, smiling. While looking into each others' eyes, they slowly closed the distance between them until their lips met for their first kiss. They started gently at first and then a little more passionately, their embrace tightening.

Both were experiencing feelings they had never felt before. They were tingling all over at being so close, both with their lips and their bodies. When they finally broke apart, they were breathing heavily, gasping for air.

Looking up at him, she said, "Thank you, Harry."

Harry was puzzled. "For what?" he asked softly.

"For loving me. You have made me happier than you will ever know," said Hermione beaming up at him.

"Well, I felt I had to let you know about my true feelings for you. I needed to be fair and honest with you, regardless of how you felt about me. I'm so sorry it's taken this long for us to find this out. I promise you I will make it up to you," said Harry lovingly.

Hermione was very touched by what Harry had said.

"We can make it up to each other as we explore our feelings. Now that we know how we feel about each other, we can take it one day at a time and see where it leads," said Hermione.

I agree, there's no need to rush," said Harry.

After a few moments of enjoying the comforting feeling of being so close to each other, Harry broke the silence.

Uhm, Hermione, there's something else I need to tell you," said Harry.

She noticed Harry's demeanor had changed very quickly. He was now very serious, almost bordering on solemn.

"I've never told anyone this, and I never plan to. No one would understand. This is between you and me. You need to know that you, and you alone, were the only source of my strength and determination to defeat Lord Voldemort," said Harry with great conviction.

Hermione couldn't believe what Harry was saying. He saw the troubled look on her face and continued.

"The prophecy had said my life would be at risk, but this wasn't important to me. I wasn't fighting for my life or the safety of the Wizarding world. I was fighting for your life, Hermione. I was fighting to protect you. My love for you is so great, that I cannot bear to live if something ever happened to you. I had to do whatever it took to guarantee your safety. It was this single thought that strengthened my resolve to destroy Voldemort. You have helped me in ways you can never imagine. They called me a hero for what I did. Truth be known, if it hadn't been for you, I would have failed. You deserve the title more than I do."

Hermione was absolutely speechless. How could Harry's love for her cause him not to care for his own life? All she could do was hug him tighter as her tears flowed again. They sat there quietly until Hermione's tears subsided, Harry absent mindedly playing with her curls. Finally Harry spoke again.

"Hermione, are you okay now?" he asked softly.

"Yes, Harry. I'm fine," she said.

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You seem like you're doing better now," said Harry

"Much better, Mr. Potter," she said playfully.

Harry was glad she had calmed down. He was never sure what to do when she was crying. He had one more thing to take care of, and he hoped this didn't make her cry too much.

"I'm glad you feel better. I have one more item to take care of. Uhm, I hope you don't think it too forward of me. I took a big chance that you felt the same about me as I did about you. Thankfully you did. So that means I, uh, can give you this," said Harry nervously.

Harry reached into his pocket and pulled out a little black box. Hermione's jaw dropped as her eyes widened in shock. Seeing her reaction, he realized what she thought was in the box.

"Relax Hermione, it's not what you think it is. I don't plan to move that fast in our new relationship."

He opened the box and handed it to her. With shaking hands she took the box and looked inside. She saw a beautiful white gold ring, set with brilliant green stones nearly the color of Harry's eyes.

"I wanted you to have something to symbolize my love for you, and to remember this day, the day we finally realized we were in love with each other. I know I took a gamble, but it was worth it. It's something we can look back on. Look inside the band, I had it engraved," said Harry.

She gently removed the ring from the box and looked on the inside of the band. A lone tear eased down her face as she read the inscription. It was a simple inscription but it expressed volumes: HP loves HG 6/97.

Hermione leaned forward and kissed him gently. Holding up the ring she asked playfully,

"Would you like to do the honors, Mr. Potter?"

He took the ring, gently picked up her left hand, and slowly placed the ring on her finger. Hermione couldn't get over how beautiful the ring was. She couldn't help herself. She embraced Harry again and planted a very firm kiss on his lips. He kissed her back. They remained there for quite a while enjoying being close to each other.

Harry realized it was getting a bit late in the evening. He would have loved to stay where they were forever, but he knew they had to go back to the common room. He softly broke the silence.

"I hate to ruin this wonderful moment, but I think we should get back to Gryffindor Tower. We need to plan out what we are going to do when school is finished. Also, we might want to be careful who we tell about the change in our relationship. I don't think most people will mind, but I don't know about Ron. I know at one time he fancied you. I don't know how this will affect him."

"I don't think we will have to worry about Ron. I have it on good authority that he and, uhm, well, Luna Lovegood have become quite an item," said Hermione grinning.

Harry looked at her in shock.

"What? Ron and Luna? You sure?" asked Harry as he began to snicker.

"My source is very reputable," said Hermione.

Harry was curious now. He asked through his laughter,

"Who is your source, if you don't mind me asking? I won't tell."

Hermione thought for a moment then decided to explain the whole thing.

"Well, Ginny told me. She was walking past a broom closet near the Transfiguration classroom. She thought she heard voices in the closet. You know Ginny. She's not the shy little girl anymore, since she grew up and had your DADA classes. She went right up to the closet and jerked the door open. Inside were Ron and Luna having a right good snogfest going on. Of course Ron went crimson with embarrassment. Ginny had him promising her the world to guarantee she didn't tell anyone."

Harry had been laughing so hard he could hardly breathe. It's true he was laughing at his best mate's expense, but deep down he was glad Ron had found someone to be with. Since he had this bit of information, he knew it didn't make any difference who found out about them now.

They finally left the Room of Requirement and headed for Gryffindor Tower. As they strolled, arm in arm back to the common room, they would occasionally take a break to snog for a moment. The last time they kissed, they didn't realize they were right in front of the Fat Lady.

"You two, take it inside! What do you mean by doing that in public?" she scolded them.

Harry quickly gave the password. The portrait opened up and allowed them to enter. They hurried inside so they wouldn't provoke the Fat Lady anymore.

Ginny and Ron both jumped at the sound of the disturbance coming from the common room entrance. When they saw who had entered, Ron reacted a little brusquely.

"Bloody hell! Could you two possibly make any more noise?"

They both looked at Ron, slightly put out by his outburst.

"Sorry, Ron. What's wrong?" asked Hermione cautiously.

Even though she had asked Ron, it was Ginny who answered her question.

"Little Ronnykins is upset because he's getting his butt beat for the sixth straight time by his ickle widdle sister at Wizard's Chess."

Ron gave his sister a scathing look. Then he turned his attention back to his two friends.

"What did you two do to upset the Fat Lady? I heard her yelling at you," asked Ron.

"I don't think she liked Hermione and me kissing in front of her," said Harry with a big grin on his face

Hermione stood there blushing brightly.

Ron looked at them with a very confused look on his face.

"Kissing? You two?" asked Ron.

Ginny was now snickering uncontrollably. She couldn't help it, seeing how confused Ron was.

"Yes, we were kissing. Anything wrong with that?" asked Harry.

"No mate, nothing at all. Why were you two kissing?" enquired Ron.

"Because, after all these years, I finally had enough courage to tell Hermione how I really felt about her, and I found out she feels the same way about me." said Harry.

"Well, it's about bloody time," said Ron.

He saw their looks of confusion on their faces as they stared at him. Ron guessed he should explain what he meant.

"It's just that, everyone else could see that you had feelings for each other. You two just couldn't see it for yourselves. The way you always helped each other, stood up for each other, and protected each other, were obvious clues. More importantly, though, was the way you looked at each other. Anyone could see the love in your eyes whenever you two looked at each other. It's just meant for the both of you to be together. The smartest witch of the age, and the most powerful wizard in over a century, it's the way it should be."

They couldn't believe such profound words had come out of their friend. They just stood there in awe.

Ginny had finally calmed down from her attack of the giggles, and finally entered the conversation.

"Enough about that! How about the ring? Did it fit?"

"It fit perfectly, Ginny. Thank you," said Harry.

Hermione looked at Harry quite suspiciously. Seeing this, Harry knew he better explain what was going on.

"Ginny helped me pick out the ring and get it sized. I don't know anything about jewelry and I wanted the ring to be perfect."

Ron looked up quickly from the chessboard when he had heard something about a ring.

"Ring? What ring?" asked Ron.

"Calm down, Ron. It's just a friendship ring. We're not moving that quickly with our new relationship," said Hermione.

Harry was concerned with the way Ron was acting. He decided he had to find out exactly how Ron felt.

"Ron, you're not jealous are you? Hermione and I are in love with each other, but our intentions were never to hurt your feelings," said Harry a little more seriously.

Ron looked at the new couple for a moment then told them exactly how he felt.

"No, mate, I'm not jealous. I do love Hermione, and I always will. But, it's the same way I feel about my sister, or any of my family. You both are just like family to me. What there is between you two is very special, and I wish you all the happiness in your future together. Also, if either of you need help for anything, anytime, anywhere, I'll be there for you."

They were both very moved by Ron's sentiments. In the years they had been together, they had never heard Ron express his feelings in such a way. Hermione went over to Ron, kissed him on the cheek, and said,

"Thank you, Ron. You don't know how much that means to us."

Harry also went over to his best mate and shook his hand. Ron's ears turned a bright red.

"All right you two, that's enough," said Ron looking very embarrassed.

Ginny giggled at her brother's reaction. But, she thought how nice it was for him to tell Harry and Hermione what he had. She looked at her watch and thought it was getting on the late side. She also thought it would be nice for the new couple to have some time alone together. Since they were the only people in the common room, she would see what she could do.

Oh goodness, look at the time. I guess we should pack it in for the night. What do you think, Ron?" she asked winking at her brother.

Unfortunately, he wasn't paying attention and didn't pick up on her cue.

"What? It's not that late. We still have a game to finish," said Ron.

Without missing a beat, Ginny kicked Ron right in the shin under the table.

Owww! Bloody hell! What did you do that for?" asked Ron in a great deal of pain.

Ginny looked him in the eyes and repeated what she had said before.

"It's getting late."

Then she motioned towards Harry and Hermione with her eyes. The light finally came on in Ron's brain.

"Oh yeah, it's getting late. I think I'll turn in for the night, and work on my broken shin," said Ron while giving Ginny a nasty look.

She looked back at the couple, smiling at them and rolling her eyes all at the same time. Along with her brother, she bid them goodnight.

Harry and Hermione smiled at each other. They appreciated Ginny's orchestrating the whole thing about it being late so they could be alone. They went over to their favorite spot and cuddled up together. They remained there for several moments just snuggling. It was Harry who finally spoke.

"Hermione, may I ask you a question?"

"Harry, you know you can ask me anything. Especially now, since our relationship has seemed to have jumped a few levels," she said, smiling at him.

He looked her right in her beautiful brown eyes and asked softly,

"I just wanted to know, do you think you can put up with me the rest of your life?"

Hermione sat there quietly and contemplated what he had asked. Harry started to get a little nervous after a while. She had been sitting there for several moments, not saying a word. All of a sudden, the sweetest little smile appeared on her face. She looked him in the eyes and finally answered.

"Yes, Mr. Potter. I know I can put up with you the rest of our lives. But, as for you, I'm all yours now whether you can handle me or not," Hermione said in a wickedly mischievous way.

"Miss Granger, you know what? I wouldn't want it any other way," said Harry, with an equally mischievous smile on his face.

Without warning he leaned in and planted a very passionate kiss on her lips. She returned the favor with equal passion. He began slowly rubbing her back causing her to moan softly. She brought her hands up to his hair, which she loved to play with while they were involved like this.

They remained there a bit longer, exploring some of their new found feelings for each other. They finally grew tired after a long day filled with many wonderful revelations. They would work on their plans for their future tomorrow. For now they needed to rest. Eventually, they fell asleep on the couch, still secure in each other's embrace. Now knowing how they felt about each other, everything was going to be all right. They knew they were going to be together the rest of their lives.

End


End file.
